


The Last Day of October

by realfakedoors



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: AU - Convictions and Captivity, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Fluff and Humor, Gen, not angst for once, okay maybe a little angst
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-18
Updated: 2017-10-31
Packaged: 2019-01-18 19:15:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 14,274
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12394443
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/realfakedoors/pseuds/realfakedoors
Summary: Steven, Connie, and the Crystal Gems take on trick-or-treating. Maybe more tricks than treats, but hey, it's good ol' spooky fun. It'll be a good time either way.Set in the AU of Convictions & Captivity. This story is non-canon with C&C, it just features some OCs and a bit of contextual changes. There is a primer available so you can jump right in if you haven't read the larger work.





	1. Customs and Costumes

**Author's Note:**

> Hi there - whose ready to get spooky?! Me - that's who! I had this idea brewing, you know, given that it's October and all that. SU not having Halloween as a holiday be damned, I need gems-in-costumes in my life.
> 
> If you did not read C&C, that's okay: there are only a handful of things you need to know to be up-to-speed. Please check out this [ Convictions & Captivity (Quick Guide) ](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1szbto5skPeKH20efzbUqOq6KwcJScLB3ruk39oPdp6U/edit?usp=sharing) to know the four important pieces of context you'll need for this story. (spoilers for C&C! beware!)

“Why did I agree to do this again…” Lars muttered miserably to himself, standing outside the Big Donut in a hoodie and jeans – conspicuously not wearing his work uniform. It was nearly half past six in the evening, the sun starting to set on a pleasantly temperate day for October.

Well, nearly November, given that it was the last day of the month.

“ _Because_ , even though you act like a jerk, you’re not actually one.”

The lanky teen jumped at the sound of _her_ voice, grabbing at his pounding heart, and true to form, Sadie appeared behind the corner of the building with her signature jacket and a totally uncharacteristic pointed black hat. She was smiling, but her eyes betrayed her exhaustion, which only served to make her look all the more… bewitching? That didn’t mean cute, it meant… weird, right?

“Oh, c’mon, Lars, you didn’t even _try_.” She lowered and raised her hand repeatedly, gesturing to his typical lack-luster appearance.

Defensively, Lars put his hood up, and snapped at her. “Yeah, cause I didn’t want to look stupid.”

That had been the wrong thing to say, so his eyes went wide and he turned to her, immediately apologetic. To his relief, though, Sadie’s lips were pulled up into a smirk.

“Eh, it’s fine. You’re too _cool_ for Halloween, I get it.” She shrugged and looked away.

He felt like an asshole; Sadie always forgave him too easily.

And, in truth, he _was_ an asshole, she had just come to expect that sort of behavior from him.

“Lars, Sadie, _hey!”_ Steven called, coming down from the beach with Connie in tow, the girl shyly resisting such a bombastic entrance. They were trailed by a rather large group of gems, each running the gambit from exasperated or excited.

Lars frowned at them, but Sadie countered his characteristic sour mood with a friendly wave. To be fair, Steven was frowning back at Lars, about to echo the same sentiment Sadie had just expressed.

“Aw, Lars, what are you supposed to be?” His voice sounded deflated.

Curtly, Lars dug his hands in his hoodie pockets before answering. “An annoyed teenager who doesn’t get enough sleep.”

Connie nodded politely at Sadie and gave Steven a grave look as he examined Lars a little too thoughtfully.

After a pause, Steven nodded a few times and rubbed his chin. “Well, I can’t argue with that. It’s the perfect costume.”

“H-Hey!” Lars said indignantly, but he hadn’t a chance to defend himself before Steven’s entourage caught up to them.

As Pearl neared, she tittered over Steven and automatically placed protective hands on his shoulders, brushing off nonexistent dust and standing a little too close behind him. Steven looked up and smiled, knowing her cossetting was coming from a place of caring.

They had all been through a lot – of course she was being protective, just as he was still hesitant to go anywhere alone, or to sleep, or to dream, but this was one of Steven’s favorite nights of the year, so he wanted to try to forget about Homeworld for just one night.

It was, of course, impossible – more than one of the gems behind them were recent refugees from Homeworld, tugging down at the corner of his lips as he retreated into his memories unwillingly.

Sadie started to feel awkward as ten or so people – er, aliens – she hardly knew were starting at her and Lars. The intensity of their gaze was nerve-wracking, so she cleared her throat and gestured at the collection of gems and humans before her.

“So, what are you all dressed up as?” She asked, groping for a topic that was friendly enough.

They went in turns explaining their costumes, starting with Steven.

“I’m a No Home Boy, of course,” Steven showed off his bindle, to which Amethyst nodded approvingly. Pearl had even helped him with make-up and tousled his hair to make him look like a runaway, so he really felt the part.

"A _what?_ You look like a hobo," Lars said sardonically.

"Thank you!" Steven replied with a warm smile, but with all eyes on him, he also started to blush slightly.

Connie went next. “I’m Alice Ball. She was a chemist.”

Practicality always reigned supreme in the Maheswaran household, so Connie had resorted to using a retired doctors coat of her mom’s and some modest, old-looking clothes. She also donned her glasses, and had a utility belt with beakers and test-tubes. With her still freshly cut hair, there wasn’t much she could do but secure it into a small ponytail.

Steven had started beaming at her unwittingly, and when she looked at him and returned the gesture, he suddenly felt hot and nervous around his collar. Clearing his throat, he urged Pearl to go next.

“I’m a magician, of course.” She said simply, patting Steven’s head, careful not to disrupt his perfectly disheveled hair.

Amethyst interjected, laughing, and both Sadie and Lars jumped back. She looked nothing like her normal self – instead, she had shapeshifted into a large purple horse.

“No, P, you’re a _witch_. Magician is different,” she said, continuing to cackle at Pearl’s blunder. The white gem flushed a delicate shade of blue and scowled, adjusting her hat that was rather similar to Sadie’s, only in a pretty shades of black and light blue. Her whole outfit matched the same color scheme, making her look wickedly pretty, and in place of her sword was a broom at her waist.

“Well, it doesn’t matter. Magical, you get the idea.” Pearl was slightly flustered, but she sent Connie and Steven a quick wink.

“ _Neigh, naaay_ ,” Amethyst said, rolling her eyes and intimidating her namesake. Peridot was perched on her back proudly, holding Pumpkin under one arm.

“We’re the Headless Horseperson – people, person? Just – watch, nyeheh.” Peridot snickered as she lifted up the collar of her large black coat, fished out of a long-forgotten trunk in the corner of the barn filled with all sorts of old human garb. The disguise was mostly successful, flipping up the black rim of the coat to hide all her of her face and most of her hair, and Pumpkin yipped excitedly under her arm.

“G-geez,” Lars said, a little dumbfounded. These magical ladies really went all out.

Garnet’s costume was by far Steven’s favorite, so he bounced lightly in anticipation as the fusion adjusted her visor, which she had modified to follow the curvature of a bat.

“I’m a mummified vampire. Or, a vampiric mummy. Your choice.”

Connie and Steven couldn't help but go starry-eyed. Ruby was the vampire and Sapphire was the mummy, they knew, and they had begged and begged to see them unfused before coming to meet Lars and Sadie. Garnet had smirked mysteriously but declined, saying she would think about it later, so now she stood as claimed with a billowing black and red robe, lightly draped with tattered bandages from head to foot.

Lapis had, naturally, adopted her alter ego: Bob. The ocean gem held her baseball bat a little threateningly, but mostly, she looked bored. She was standing off of the side next to Blue Pearl, and while the other blue gem appreciated being invited out for the festivities, she did not desire to partake in the strange human ritual of putting shirts on her form. Indeed, Blue quite liked the way she looked.

And finally, that left Danburite. She had not dressed up, either, but that was not for the same reason as Blue Pearl or Lars; she wanted to understand the meaning behind the outfits and customs before settling on a costume.

Abruptly, she strode up to Lars and scrutinized his face from only inches away, causing him to recoil backwards.

“W-what gives? Personal space, man.” He moved slightly behind Sadie, who was now being examined the same way. She chuckled nervously, disconcerted by the white gem’s visor that shrouded her eyes.

“Uh, sorry, Lars, Sadie. This is Dani, she’s um… new around here.”

“Greetings, humans. I am interested in your choice of costume. Why did you pick this?” She gestured towards Lars, who immediately scowled and looked ready to scream at her. In her defense, Dani was not intentionally being facetious, but Lars interpreted the judgement as the third of its kind tonight, making a jest at his outfit.

“ _Seriously_? God, I shouldn’t have even come, if I knew I was just going _to be -_ ”

Connie jumped in, taking Dani by the hand and pulling her back slightly. “Dani, that’s not a costume. He didn’t dress up – just regular human clothes.”

“Oh,” the white gem said, rubbing her chin and nodding attentively. She let herself be guided back next to Steven and Pearl, the latter of whom was still eyeing Sadie and, particularly, Lars, distrustfully.

Dani bent down next to Steven and Connie, lowering her voice. “I am afraid I still don’t understand. I thought all humans did this ‘hollow wean?”

Lumbering closer, Amethyst poked her horse nose between Connie’s shoulder and Dani, listening in.

Steven tapped one cheek lightly. “Well, no, not exactly. It’s just for fun, and _some_ people don’t like fun.”

Lars rolled his eyes.

“You should just be someone or something you think is fun… Think about what you think is fun, and just, be that. It doesn't have to make sense.”

Dani pursued her lips, thinking, unsure of how to answer. It was a difficult metric to follow, given that she did not experience joy in the typical way most humans do.

“I find jokes to be fun. Can I be a joke?”

Pearl clicked her tongue. “I’m afraid not, _Amethyst_ is the joke around here.”

The purple gem just blew a raspberry at her with an elongated equestrian tongue.

"But... I thought Amethyst was a horse?"

Wracking her brains, Connie made a suggestion. “Well, you’re sort of a scientist or a doctor, right? You could be one of those.”

“Pff, no, don’t do that Dans. We can come up with something better,” Amethyst said, causing Connie’s face to fall hurtfully.

“ _Amethyst_ …” Garnet said in warning.

The purple gem became apologetic. “S-sorry, Connie, didn’t mean it like that. Just, she already looks like a doctor with the coat and all, we can come up with something better… Any ideas, P-Dot?”

Kicking her hind legs to jostle Peridot, the green gem yelped and almost fell off. Pumpkin barked indignantly.

“Uh, she could… hmm, no… What about… um, oh, I’ve got it!” She snapped her small fingers together.

“Danburite, you should be a ghost! You’re already all white.”

Completely unaffected, Dani responded with a frown. “But, Connie and I are already ghosts.”

This time, her comment wasn’t intended as a joke – Danburite was literal to a fault, sometimes – but that didn’t stop Lapis from snorting suddenly, unable to help herself, and Blue Pearl smiled next to her, looking down at her feet, trying not to laugh.

Amethyst started to positively roar with laughter, and the giggles swept over all of them for a few moments – even Lars and Sadie laughed, though they didn’t get why it was funny… just, felt like the right thing to do.

“Peridot, why don’t you search your tablet for ideas? I want to talk to Steven for a moment.”

That made the boy grimace, and many of the others tensed at Garnet’s announcement – with the benefit (or hindrance, depending on your perspective) of precognition, a private conversation with the fusion was typically never a good thing.

The two of them walked away from the group, rounding the corner of the Big Donut while Amethyst shapeshifted back to normal, many of them leaning over Peridot’s shoulder to discuss ideas. Lars, at least, was glad they all agreed to meet early, because they could be here all night trying to pick out a dumb costume for the close-talker.

Safely out of ear shot, Garnet knelt down and put a gentle hand on Steven’s shoulder.

“Are you sure you’re up for this?” Garnet asked, voice calm.

Steven was immediately a wreck of nerves, twisting his fingers together. Honestly, he should have known better to think there could be a lapse in the danger beyond the curtain, the threat of Homeworld ebbing at the corners of his mind everytime he closed his eyes.

“W-why? Is something going to happen? Did you see something? M-maybe you’re right, or, we could just stay and watch movies, if you th – ”

“Ah, Steven. Just take a deep breath. Nothing bad is going to happen.” She squeezed his shoulders reassuringly, alarmed as he was gripped in a sudden panic.

“Y-you’re sure? I thought, just,” he started to speak before stopping again, looking down at his feet shamefully. He was supposed to forget about Homeworld tonight – that was the agreement, and in exchange, _all_ of them were going to come with him. He couldn't feel the target on his back if he was surrounded by fierce warriors and protective guardians, right? Apparently not, because they hadn’t even made it to the boardwalk before he started to spiral into a hysteria.

“ _Shh_. Deep breathe, first. With me, ready?” Garnet inhaled dramatically, letting her chest rise and fall, for which Steven was grateful; he knew the Gems did not need oxygen, so breathing was something they did for his benefit at times like this.

He followed her instructions – _in and out_ – tension passing through his lungs and releasing in small bursts into the evening breeze.

Weakly, he smiled up at her as she pressed a tender hand against his face. Her gemstone was cold against his skin.

“Don't worry my little runaway, we'll keep you safe. The only thing to be afraid of tonight is cavities.”

Smiling in earnest, he chuckled and nodded, wiping his nose timorously before extending his arms for a hug. Garnet warmly accepted, holding him close against her shoulder for a few moments before releasing him and standing up.

“I just wanted to make sure this is what _you_ wanted Steven. I know you love Halloween, but, I hope you aren’t just doing this because we _expect_ you to love Halloween. Any holiday can take a lot of energy out of you, and we’ll be out for hours. You’re sure this is what you want?” Her voice revealed the tiniest hint of worry beneath her characteristic stoicism.

Steven took her hand and smiled shyly. “I am sure… thank you, Garnet.”

With a little laugh, she placed a bashful hand against her chest and batted her other hand at him. “Oh, don’t thank _me_.”

He gasped when there was an abrupt flash of light, hands immediately balled into fists from excitement and surprise.

“You can thank _us_ , though.” Sapphire said with a sly smile, gentle white fiber dangling all over her pretty blue form. Steven thrust himself at her and Ruby, grabbing them in a fierce hug.

“Yay!” He said in a sing-songy voice, overjoyed by the unexpected appearance of Ruby and Sapphire.

Laughing and returning the hug, Ruby nudged him playfully “Steven! You’d be the easiest victim ever – I could sink my fangs into you right now! _Va, va, va!_ ”

The red gem made a show of turning her voice into a bad impression of a Transylvanian vampire, baring false fangs and making Steven and Sapphire giggle.

“My laughy Sapphy… or should I say, my funny mummy?” The red gem took the blue one’s hand in her own, only making her giggle more, and Steven beamed as he led them back to the others.


	2. Too Soon

After some thoughtful back-and-forth, Peridot and Amethyst ultimately agreed on what they deemed to be the perfect costume for Dani, no shapeshifting required. The best part, it didn’t even require a trip back to the house, only a little convincing from Pearl, who had conveniently stored away a few things in her gem on a previous occasion and leant them to her fellow white gem: black pants, black flat shoes, a collared button-down shirt and a pad of paper and a pencil. Fishing around her jacket, the green gem reveled in her own precognition to bring her bow-tie, just in case.

_“I don’t think that’s necessary…” Lapis said as they set a course for the Beach House, Peridot running behind her and nearly tripping over the long tails of her black coat._

_The green gem was having none of that, though. “Hey, you never know when you might need to fancy up,” she said as she securely tucked the bow-tie away in one of the trench coat’s many pockets._

Smirking, she stuck her tongue out at Lapis who quietly rolled her eyes as she affixed the red accessory to the collar of Danburite’s borrowed shirt. Connie let her have her ponytail holder, taking her own hair down and letting it drape around her shoulders.

By the time Steven, Ruby, and Sapphire came back (to several excited gasps at the red and blue gem’s unexpected appearance), Danburite was awkwardly pushed forward to meet them by an excited horse and its green rider.

“Behold, another _nerd_! Not bad, right?” Peridot said, modeling Dani by extending her arms and gesturing at her garb. The white gem certainly looked the part, textbook bun with pencils sticking through, her coat replaced by the button down-shirt and Peridot’s bow-tie. In the front pocket, Pearl had removed her napkin from waitressing at _Steven’s_ , now crowded with an assortment of pens.

Sapphire bowed her head appreciatively as Steven ran forward to meet them, practically bouncing in his enthusiasm at her impressive costume.

Quiet enough not to distract from the din of compliments and questions from Steven as he appraised and consequently praised Dani’s speedy transformation, Sapphire turned towards the human male.

“Thank you, Lars.”

“Uh, what?” The teen said, jumping slightly at her icy whisper. He had been standing off to one-side, automatically receding further and further away from the bonkers group of aliens he had somehow found himself a part of.

“I know Amethyst and Peridot will be anxious to take credit for the idea, but I know it was yours. It is a good fit.”

Lars blinked a few times, nonplussed. It was true, he had been the one to comment on how this crowd should have all dressed up as a bunch of nerds – but he had been being, well… less than kind, and totally himself.

Before he could respond, the loud green gem proudly accepted a compliment from Pearl on the sophistication of the costume.

The docile blue gem gave the teen a shrewd nod before trailing quietly after Ruby, leaving Lars utterly confused and strangely gratified.

Lapis pushed through the group a little impatiently, questioning her fellow barnmate.

“What’s the time?”

Frowning, the green gem retrieved her tablet with some difficulty. Somehow, Blue Pearl had ended up with it, and she seemed wholly uncomfortable with the strange device, but she did not know what it was called. By the time the mystery was cleared, Blue seemed eager to be relieved of her duty, withdrawing her hands behind her back.

“Ah, perceptive as ever Lapis! It’s just now past seven. We should get started?”

The response was half-answer, half-question, directed at Pearl who was anxiously flattening the ends of her modified form; the pouf around her legs was unusual, though not uncomfortable, just more fabric to keep track of than she was used to.

“Oh, yes, we should. Yes.” Her voice sounded torn between apprehensive and distracted, eyes flickering between her clothes, Steven and Connie, and towards the darkening streets.

“I thought Steven’s father was joining us?” Dani inquired politely, adjusting her visor. The gesture was more than likely subconscious, but it only served to make her costume all the more convincing.

Connie spoke up then. “Oh, right. Sorry, I forgot, Mr. Universe texted me when we were on our way from the house. He said he was going to try to catch up with us later. I should text him back and ask when…”

The girl’s voice trailed off as she reached into her comically high-waisted pants pockets for her cell phone, typing into the keypad as Ruby roused the others.

Clapping her red hands together, she spoke loud enough for all of them to hear. “Alright, now, remember…”

She lifted her cape around the bottom-half of her face with one arm, narrowing her eyes in a show of fake malice. “Tonight – there are no humans, no aliens, no gems. Tonight, the only thing causing terror in Beach City are monsters and magic! And that means we need to get a move on, so let’s get going,” the red gem said, billowing around quickly so her robes dramatically flapped at her ankles.

A melodic little giggle came from the blue gem, while Steven, Connie, Amethyst and Peridot cheered and ran after her. Sadie fast-walked behind them, pulling Lars along by the bottom hem of his hoodie while Pearl lingered in the back with Lapis and Blue, trying not to let her worries spoil the fun.

“Are you quite alright, White?” Blue Pearl asked once there was a comfortable space between them and the others, trailing behind as they milled down a residential street around Dewey Park.

“Mmm… yes, I suppose.” Pearl answered absently, wracking her brains, reviewing the plan for the hundredth time.

Yes, they were going to be safe – just fine, certainly. The agreed upon route was to wind through the domestic neighborhoods of their little ocean town, starting with the street just north of the boardwalk. Moving in that direction, they would eventually make their way to Funland, open late especially for this night, and leave no later than ten o’clock – nine thirty, she hoped.

Lapis adjusted her bat across her shoulders as a group of humans passed, daring them to approach the three of them with narrowed eyes.

“What are you again?” The ocean gem asked, trying to pass the time as they lingered at the end of a short-drive way while Alice Ball, a homeless boy, whatever it was Peridot, Amethyst and Pumpkin were supposed to be, a mummy, _and_ a vampire collected candy. Danburite, as it turned out, was not interested in the candy aspect of the holiday as Lapis came to understand it. Instead, she was using the pen and paper gifted to her by Pearl to take diligent notes.

“Huh?” Pearl asked, turning her head to look at Lapis, eyes vacant.

“O-oh, I’m a magici- er, a _witch_. They’re supposed to be humans with magical properties.”

One blue gem snorted at the idea while the other rubbed her chin inquisitively.

“But, then, why do they not call, um, Steven, a witch?”

In fairness, Blue Pearl’s question was a good one – he _was_ a magical human boy with inexplicable powers, but, the concept had never really stuck. Pearl began to explain the incorporation of gem culture into human folklore while the group moved to another house.

Sadie and Lars came up to the stoop with the children, not necessarily tricking nor treating, but playing along by greeting the parents at the door each time. The curious white gem – Dani, they said – stood near to the two of them and scribbled fervently into her paper.

The five (if you considered Amethyst, Peridot and Pumpkin to be one unit) of them graciously accepted candy and beamed each time the door opened. Luckily, in Beach City, the town had grown accustomed to the weirdness associated with Steven’s family, so the shock was never more than a frightened gasp each time a door opened. For once, being scary and dangerous was a good thing.

Upon coming up to the Miller house, Sadie sheepishly waved at her mother at the door. Barb was dressed up as an undead postal woman, beaming and standing proudly in a yard full of decorations.

“Why, _hello_ , welcome to my graveyard.” She said spookily, twiddling her fingers and _ooh_ ’ing and _ahh_ ’ing. Danburite was absolutely horrified, looking at their feet with her brow drawn together. To the white gem’s credit, she managed to bite her tongue – she was not one to judge human sacraments, confusing though they were.

“Ugh…” Sadie placed a hand over her face embarrassingly, and Lars tried not to laugh too hard for her benefit.

The woman wagged a finger at her daughter and the Barriaga boy while the small ones collected their sugary winnings. “Now, aren’t you a little _old_ for trick-or-treating?”

Steven and Connie were heading for the front gate when Dani leaned over and stopped them, whispering urgently.

“ _Wait, you hadn’t said there was an age limit?”_

Before the children could correct the misunderstanding, Amethyst whinnied loudly, causing Pumpkin to erupt into barks while Peridot became indignant.

“I am hundreds of years older than _you_ , and if you think I will – ” but Ruby interrupted, pushing the green, purple and orange monstrosity back towards the others.

Sapphire apologized while Ruby angrily whispered at Peridot. “ _Don’t_ , trust me. We’ve gone down that road before with humans. Never works.”

Awkwardly collecting themselves outside the Miller residence, Sadie was entirely exasperated and Lars was browsing his phone, looking bored. Connie lingered behind with Dani to explain the faux pas that had just occurred, and Steven found himself with Lapis at the front of the group, leading them around the corner to the next block.

Steven was distracted though, watching Onion at the end of the street run at full speed with a lit jack o’lantern held above his head while his other arm dragged a proverbial motherload of candy in a sack three times his size. Frowning, Steven shuddered to think what sort of horrible atrocities had earned the child that sort of haul – the wicking hour, so to speak, had only started perhaps twenty minutes ago.

Kindly, Lapis rustled his hair to bring back his attention. “Are you having fun, Steven?”

They were coming up to the next house, so the pair stopped while everyone caught up. “Oh, yeah. Are you? I know this probably isn’t your thing,” he said, gesturing at the absolute oddity of the group coming closer. Amethyst had returned to normal for a moment to regain her energy, no doubt. She used this opportunity to scarf down some candy, wrappers and all, while she and Peri joked and teased.

“Hmm…” Lapis said, nodding. “You’re right, it’s not _exactly_ my thing…”

Before he had the chance to be disappointed, however, the blue gem smiled at him and pushed her bat against the ground like a cane. “But that doesn’t mean I’m not having fun. Any night with my fun buddy is guaranteed to be fun, isn’t it?”

That made Steven grin warmly, and a moment later he was being dragged up to the doorstep by a Headless Horsegem-creature, smiling the whole way to the house.

It was nearing eight, the sky fully darkened as laughter and artificial lights and pre-recorded screams reverberated around the town, magic and monsters making their way towards the northern coast house-by-house.

As the group came around the final street that ended with the entrance to Funland, they noticed the trademark _Mr. Universe_ van parked near the front gate, and Connie checked her phone curiously.

“Huh, he never messaged me back earlier. Guess he just figured we’d meet-up here?”

Pearl was perched next to her and Steven carefully, her eyes scanning the area for any sort of _actual_ , non-animatronic danger, and kept a tight hand on her little guy’s shoulder.

“Uh, Pearl, can you let me go?” Steven craned his neck to look at her when the pressure became uncomfortable, and she looked at him with a grimace on her face but quickly withdrew her hand.

“I’m sorry, Steven, I just…” she bit her lip, looking around.

Pearl continued slowly. “I think it’s just all the pressure of… well, you know… I just, can’t shake the feeling I have that something bad is going to happen. Don’t let me spoil your fun, though.”

Steven took her hand gently in his own, shifting his bohemian knapsack to his other shoulder so he could stand closer to her. “Don’t worry, Pearl. Tonight I’m just _disguised_ as a runaway. I promise I’ll stay with you the whole time.”

Connie popped up to her other side, her voice less earnest but comforting in a different sort of way. “Steven’s right, ma’am. Nothing could go wrong with…” she counted quickly, looking at their impressive entourage.

“With all twelve of us. Besides, the night is already half over, and the worst we’ve been attacked has just been from the occasional snide comment by...” she said, jerking her head towards the sour-faced teenager who was blushing at something Sadie had just said.

Appreciatively, Pearl smiled at them both, and clasped Steven’s hand a little tighter as they approached the next house, but her fears were only slightly abated.

And soon – too soon, in fact – would those fears become reality.  


	3. From Bad to Worse

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello, my lovely readers! I would like to apologize on my unusually long delays in updating this (and SASA). this has been a very difficult week for me personally and professionally, so I want to thank you for your patience & kind comments throughout the week to keep me sane.  
> now things are settling down, so my updates should be returning to their usual frequency.

Echoing around the town, the din of laughter, cars, screams and wolves sounded with false menace, enough to scare the body but never the mind. As night fell over Beach City, the Crystal Gems were concluding their final house on their candy-driven route before moving their little adventure beyond the gates of Funland. The peace had been a welcome change, but with an eerie mist settling across the water, unnaturally illuminated by the lights of the mechanized rides, a wind started to catch in the air, sending chills down the spines of children and parents alike.

Steven and Connie gave a friendly wave to the old woman who answered the door at the last house on the block, instinctively huddling close when the breeze made them both shiver.

Quietly, before returning to the others, Connie looked up shyly at Steven. They were hyper aware that their arms were touching.

“Hey, Steven?”

His mouth had gone dry. “Y-yes, Connie?”

“Thanks for inviting me out with you all. This is… nice. Really nice.”

“Yeah?” Steven grinned at her, warm despite the temperature drop. “I’m glad you came. It wouldn’t be the same without you.”

That made them both flush dark as Steven’s gemstone, but he made it a point not to avert his eyes. After all that’s happened, surely he couldn’t let relentless butterflies shake his resolve.

Amethyst had started to make a scene as she galloped gallantly around the yard, causing them both to look up for a moment. Very quickly, Connie leaned closer and kissed him lightly on the cheek before hurrying after Pearl and the others.

Steven was dumbfounded, placing a hand against the spot like he had just been burnt with electrical wires. It made his skin tingle and left him breathless, but it didn’t hurt – quite the opposite, in fact.

But before he had time to do… what _would_ he do? Chase after her? Grab her hand, kiss _her_ cheek? Too many possibilities were making his hands shake, and then, Steven was back to reality. Ruby and Sapphire had hooked their arms around each of his own and were escorting him out of the yard, the red gem sending a quick wink in his direction.

“Have you heard from Greg, Connie?” Pearl asked once they all regrouped at the edge of the street.

The girl felt around her pockets for her phone with some difficulty, eventually pulling the device out beneath her awkward fitting clothes.

“No, well – actually, hmm. It looks like I lost my signal, I didn’t notice before. He might have texted me and I just didn’t get it… weird, it’s usually fine in Beach City,” she said, walking around absently as she searched for better service.

Steven rubbed his chin. “Anything on your tablet, Peri?”

One by one, they searched their collective devices, all to find out none of them had service.

“Must be a cell tower knocked out in the area…”

“Hmm… I’m sure he’s inside. We’re burning precious moonlight!” Ruby said with a twirl, enjoying the added effect derived from her cape.

Sapphire moved a bit nearer with a wise smile on her face. “Shall we?”

They locked hands, and in a moment they were snuggling their noses together affectionately, twirling and laughing heartily. A flash of love later, the group was rejoined by their mummified vampire. Or was it a vampiric mummy?

“Garnet!” Steven said automatically, hands balled into excited fists at her return. Honestly, it was a hard choice – he loved Ruby and Sapphire, but he really, really loved Garnet.

Standing tall, the fusion dusted off her cloak casually and smiled.

“Alas, neither vampires nor mummies have much need for candy. More for you, I suppose.” She handed each of her bags to Connie and Steven, both of whom went starry eyed.

Beaming and returning to Pearl’s side, trying to keep his promise to stay close, Steven responded in gratitude. “Whoa, thank you Garnet!”

Connie nodded in her own appreciation, eyes enflamed with mischief.

“My mom would kill me if she knew how much candy I am about to eat,” she said, popping a mini chocolate bar into her mouth. “I’m not sure which is sweeter, the chocolate or the _victory_.”

“Yes,” Amethyst leered over them, her horse mouth lolling grossly between the teens’ shoulders.

“Thank you Garnet, for _fattening up my dinner!”_ She went from horse to dinosaur, causing Peridot to grip to the shapeshifter’s back for dear life as the purple gem reared her head and roared playfully. Immediately, Steven and Connie ducked for cover, Steven hiding behind Pearl and Connie behind Danburite, both white gems frowning in disapproval at the needless chaos. In the yelling and teasing, Pumpkin had gone flying off of Amethyst’s back. Huffily, the little orange vegetable yipped as Lapis jumped up and caught it, petting the frightened creature to ease its nerves.

Considering he had been standing off to one side with Sadie, Lars looked even more disturbed than Pumpkin as the magical chaos started to draw the attention of onlookers.

He stifled a groan, and Sadie already knew what he was thinking. Quietly, she leaned towards him. “Don’t worry so much. They’re watching them, not you.” She pointed at Amethyst, Steven and Connie, watching the boy grab his pink friend by the hand, running beneath Garnet’s billowing cape covered in tattered bandages.

_She really gets me, doesn’t she?_

That made Lars smile, glancing down at the short, poorly dressed witch to his left. For some reason, Sadie was feeling emboldened by his gesture and blurted out, “ _I’m_ the only one whose been watching you.”

Immediately, her eyes turned the size of saucers. “Um, uh, I mean, keeping an _eye_ on you, you know? Heh,” she said with a cough. If Lars picked up on anything suspicious in her tone, he didn’t let it show, watching the kids starting to fling candy at their pursuant in self-defense.

“Really, Amethyst, stop _horsing_ around!” Pearl chided lightly, only for Blue Pearl and Danburite to chortle at the sudden joke. For her part, Lapis looked annoyed with Peridot as she stroked Pumpkin’s head lovingly but said nothing, and Garnet was staring at the amusement park ahead.

Once the fit of giggles was over, Connie found herself grasping one of Steven’s arms with one of her own while she wiped away the happy tears at the corner of her eyes. They exchanged a knowing smile, the first time they’ve both been _really_ happy for the first time in so long.

Steven felt his face turn warm as he looked at her, thinking about the prospect of returning the kiss she planted on his cheek. For her part, Connie was self-conscious with the staring, so she tilted her head and stared back inquisitively.

Shy to a fault, Steven averted his eyes when she looked met his own, too nervous to act on the impulse.

Tonight, they were safe, and together, and right now, it was enough.

The girl tightened her grip a little on the No Home Boy’s arm, also aware of the sudden tension.

“Race you to the entrance?”

Steven’s face went stern for a moment as he untangled himself, delivering his bindle and candy to Pearl.

“Oh, it’s _on_.”

And in a heartbeat, they were running. Connie took an early lead with her longer legs, having abandoned her candy with the others. She quietly crossed her fingers that Garnet or Pearl might be thoughtful enough to grab it on her behalf, but right now, she was focused on each step and strain of her muscles, watching the image of a helplessly cute, homeless teen edge closer in her periphery.

They were maybe thirty meters away from the gate, but Steven was quickly gaining on her. Out of instinct, he was tempted to grab her lab coat to gain some ground, but that sort of felt like cheating. Screwing his face together as he felt beads of sweat appear on his forehead, Steven pushed harder and caught up, making time with her with only 10 meters remaining.

With a silly smile and breathless lungs, Connie looked at Steven as his own eyes flickered over at her, and that was the moment he lost. In truth, even if he hadn’t looked at her, she still might have won, but that determined, fierce look in Connie’s eyes struck him unexpectedly, causing him to flush and for his heartrate to skyrocket, more than was induced by the running.

“ _Yes!_ ” Connie said with a victory hurdle as she leapt across the open gates, spying the ticket booth just beyond with a vivid orange and black banner hanging above it.

_Beware! Fearful Fun Lies Ahead!_

_(Admittance $7)_

Panting, she turned to observe Steven slowing to a jog and then a walk behind her, his eyes soft but the rest of his face blank. That made Connie nervous; after Homeworld, he’s been on edge about everything, and now she was starting to think maybe the race hadn’t been such a good idea. They were a team, winning _together_ , not pitted against each other…

“Steven?” Connie asked gently as he closed the gap between them. “You okay?”

“Mmm…” he said, looking at her face and then at the park ahead, absently. The girl frowned – it was obvious he wasn’t paying attention to the here-and-now, which these day, could easily mean danger.

Lapis and Peridot caught up with them a moment later, however, before Connie had the chance to question his distractions any further.

The blue gem looked infuriated, gliding past them quickly with her wings outstretched as a Pumpkin bolted past them all into the park.

“You get _back here right now_ , or so help me _I will…_!”

Peridot scrambled after both of them, utterly disregarding Mr. Smiley at the ticket booth who looked disapproving but made no move to stop them. Sometimes, Steven’s family simply couldn’t _be_ stopped. Most of Beach City had learned it the hard way, and Mr. Smiley was in no mood for a repeat performance.

Connie was starting to feel a weird twisting in her stomach, so she moved closer to Steven who still looked distracted; he hadn’t even acknowledged Peridot and Lapis rush past. Maybe it was the thickening fog, or the unexpected lack of noise in the usually buzzing amusement park, but something was off. Straining her ears like she might do while training, Connie couldn’t pick up much else besides their still heaving breathing and the gaining winds, swirling the murky darkness across the coastal theme park.

Connie turned to look at the gates, biting her lip. Her eyes were searching for the familiar silhouette of her teacher, or Garnet, or even Amethyst or Danburite or _anyone_.

“Let’s…go back, Steven. I’m, um, not sure why, but I sort of… Steven?” Connie blinked twice as she turned back, her fingers flexing to find his hand. Something was definitely wrong, because no one was coming, and no one was speaking, and from here she could not even see Mr. Smiley.

“ _Steven?”_ She asked again, spinning on the spot when he hand groped uselessly.

_Oh no. Oh, no, no, this is bad. This is very, **very** bad._

He was gone.

 

* * *

 

“Wait a moment,” Garnet said, extending a hand in front of Pearl as they neared the gates.

Instinctively, the gems stopped, unnerved by the sudden intensity of the fusion’s voice, but the young adults continued into Funland innocuously. The donut children seemed to be enjoying some sort of inside joke, too absorbed in their conversation to bother with Garnet’s warning.

“What’s up, G? You…” she raised an eyebrow and nudged Dani playfully.

“You look like you’ve seen a _ghost_.”

No one laughed this time, because once the words were out of her mouth Blue Pearl huffed suddenly, stumbling forward with an utter lack of her usual grace.

“E-excuse me,” she said, holding up her hands defensively. “I thought…” Turning, Blue peered up beyond her bangs and was ready to shamefully request forgiveness at her clumsiness, to have carelessly backed into someone.

The street was empty. Maybe twenty meters down the road was a gaggle of small children, but they were heading the opposite direction and seemed to be engaged in a sugar-induced trance. Otherwise, Beach City had grown dark and the seaside breeze filled their bodies with ocean air peacefully, which only unnerved Blue more.

She had been _certain_ she had just bumped into someone.

Garnet frowned, turning around, looking behind and beyond Blue Pearl.

“Did you…?” Blue started to ask, looking at Garnet and then at White, who was becoming increasingly concerned at their mysterious behavior.

Behind her visor, the fusion wasn’t really scanning the street, but perusing the future. Something changed a moment ago, she was trying to see what had given root to this feeling, but it wasn’t… well, it _was_ there, but it wasn’t. She knew something was off because the future _felt_ wrong, but it looked perfectly fine from her vantage point beyond extradimensional truths.

Pearl placed a delicate hand on her arm, trying to bring her back to reality; she had seen that stare before, knowing her friend was seeking something beyond.

Her voice was tight, and she squeezed Garnet’s arm. “We should go. If you think something is… _wrong,”_ she grimaced at the word. “We need to stick together. Steven and Connie are already inside.”

Her brow came together slightly, but Garnet ultimately agreed. “R-right. I’m sorry. Just… something doesn’t feel right.”

Amethyst urged them forward, a little unsettled by the thickness of the tension befalling them the longer they stayed out here. “Okay, we get it G. You’ve changed your costume from cool monster to Pearl, all worried for no reason. We can be worried _inside_.”

They could, and they would, so into Funland they went.

Dani was sharing the sentiment of the others now, detecting a heaviness in her chest that she hadn’t felt since she and Blue Pearl were faced with the impossible task of escaping White Diamond. She felt… vulnerable.

And the moment they walked through the gates, she understood why.

In truth, Dani couldn’t explain _how_ she knew it exactly, but it was like an imperceptible degree of certainty clicked in her head. Her body felt like it was made of lead, immobilized by her own weight as they passed the threshold. All of her senses had been sucked out from the atmosphere.

Her limitations were being tested. Danburite knew her functionality was derived from her ability to fabricate sensory processing and rationalization in substitution of emotional operations, and when her foot creaked against the boards below, she felt a wire snap.

“Ah…” she said, covering her mouth at the sensation. Wait – that’s wrong – covering her mouth at the _lack_ of sensation.

She felt nothing but the weight of her person, the borrowed clothes oddly rubbing against her form but yielding no _swish_ or _scratch_ of skin against fabric.

“Dans, you good?” Amethyst turned around when she stopped walking, watching the white gem examine her hands and her clothes quizzically. Frowning, Amethyst was prepared to grab her by the wrist to drag her after the others, but someone was screaming.

 

* * *

 

Muttering to herself, Peridot kicked a Styrofoam cup angrily and squinted around the empty theme park.

“It wasn’t _my_ fault, cloddy little… what did I _do_ … just tried to… clods….”

Exasperated, she let out a low sigh and stumbled towards the nearest booth. The weather had changed, seasonably cold now that the Earth’s solar warmth had evacuated the atmosphere. Typically, Peridot preferred the air to be colder, but there was something about the chill tonight that made her uncomfortable.

Peridot had expected the night to be filled with humorous and frightening activities from Connie and Steven’s tales of ghosts and goblins, although she hadn’t expected the intensity of the fear relative to fun; the park was awfully quiet and dark for a place open for games and entertainment. It was nothing like the times she had come with the shorty squad, and in truth, she was feeling unsettled by thickening darkness. Right now, as it tingled around her limbs, it felt like she was buoyant in a swamp of black tar, rising with the passing minutes.

Still, Peridot didn’t want to lose her nerve – she was charmed at the thought of partaking in the festivities. Indeed, one of her favorite episodes of Camp Pining Hearts was the season four Halloween special (a _two-part special!_ ) but she had imagined it was exclusively part of the show until a week ago. The thought of her reality and favorite fiction meeting in such an unexpected way made her eager to join in on the fun.

But she wasn’t having fun.

She pulled her shirt, (er, wait, was it a… “coat?” They were all shirts to her...) a little tighter as the wind picked up, lips pressed together in annoyance. Amethyst hadn’t meant it, Peridot was sure, but the purple gem had singlehandedly ruined her night.

Things had been going _so_ well – the trick-or-treating and hijinks, the candy and the shirts, the group finally together without danger looming on the horizon, Lapis and Pumpkin seemed to be happy to be out, and then… one stupid shapeshifting incident later, she’s thrown Pumpkin into the air, Lapis is mad, the group is split up, and now she’s _alone._

“Ugh…” she said, pinching her nose to try to unwind her tightly drawn nerves. The gesture would have worked normally, but her temper felt particularly hot in the biting autumn air, and her restraint was only tested further when someone suddenly interrupted her ruminations.

“Peridot!”

Flinching, the so-name gem pulled away from the sudden arms capturing her. “U-Unhand me!”

She shook her head and closed her eyes once the attacker’s face was clear through the thick blackness. Kind eyes were looking at her, concerned and moved to a safe distance away.

“Oh, Steven. Sorry, you startled me…” she rubbed the back of her neck, glad to have found someone. This place was actually really creepy.

He smiled weakly at her, rubbing his own arm in stress and looking at their feet. “I’m sorry too, I should have said something. I was just… I lost everyone, and it got really cold. I was shouting but no one was answering, so when I saw you I was just so… _relieved._  it felt like I was back… you know, back _there._ ”

Peridot carefully placed a hand on his shoulder, at which he looked grateful. She gave him a half-smile, sharing the sentiment but not the pain. He was all pain, she could tell.

 

* * *

 

Dragging a hand across her face, her other holding tight to Garnet’s tense fingers, Pearl couldn’t decide if she was furious or afraid. And right now, it didn’t really matter.

Steven and Connie were gone.

“Steven! _Connie?”_ She yelled, craning her neck and scanning the haze and darkness for her dependents.

Quietly, with much less vigor, Pearl said, “Steven…. where _are_ you…?”

Garnet squeezed her hand a little tighter, her face strained between two worlds she couldn’t see. They were advancing slowly into the park, disquieted by the immediate and intense schism that seemed to rise from the very sea beneath their feet as they glided over creaking floorboards.

Lapis and Peridot were gone.

Amethyst, Dani, and Blue Pearl were gone, too.

When the screaming started, Garnet and Pearl immediately bolted towards the sound – maybe in the direction of the ferris wheel? – but it stopped almost as suddenly as it started, and they found themselves split once again. The sound was definitely female, but it was too far away to recognize fully. With a heart full of guilt, Pearl silently prayed that it was no one she knew.

How did she let this happen?

Pearl used her gem as a light to guide them, given that the human incandescent bulbs were low and the fog was thick. The clearance before them was perhaps ten feet at best, and neither of them had appreciated the size of the park until they were forced to transverse it in heavy, threatening darkness.

Rubbing comforting circles onto the back of Pearl’s hand, Garnet directed them closer to a row of booths that would at least provide some shelter from their backs.

“We need a plan,” she said quietly, stepping into the narrow space between an empty food stand and some sort of attraction that was in a plain dark gray building. With the tapered alley providing coverage to their backs and forcing them to face each other, Pearl found the close comfort slightly soothed her tattered nerves. She was, at least, thankful that she and Garnet had not gotten separated.

“Do you see _anything_?” Pearl asked without offense; it was clear she was just stressed.

Garnet looked down, trying to focus. “I do see some things, but none of it makes sense… There’s something wrong, and I’m…” but there wasn’t enough time to answer as the second scream of the night sounded, quickly followed by two new voices, a third and a forth scream sending haunting fingers up and down their spines. These echoing pleads were _much_ closer than before.

Eyes wide under the light of her gem, Pearl’s hands went to her mouth.

“ _Connie!”_

 

* * *

 

The girl clutched her chest as the oxygen returned, coughing as she ducked inside the first building she could find. Connie rubbed her throat tenderly, feeling the pressure of fresh bruises around her windpipe.

Thankfully, the sword fighter’s instincts were attuned enough to guide her to hide even if the horrible image of that… that… _thing_ was still consuming her brain. She didn’t even know how to describe it.

After a tense few seconds, mind filled with the frantic pumping of her own mortality beneath her pink skin, Connie realized where she was, and for the first time in her life, she found it oddly refreshing: the girl’s bathroom at Funland.

The door was heavy, so it held out the stinging chill of the night and unnatural, black tar of darkness that had replaced the atmosphere, and there was light here. Oh how much she had underappreciated the brightness of cheap manmade light-bulbs, their unnatural humming _zing_ in the room bringing her back from the nightmares outside.

“Oh my gosh,” a voice said suddenly, causing her to jump. It was Sadie, peering out behind a stall door.

“Are you okay? That was crazy – I can’t, hey, hey, it’s okay…” The girl approached Connie, disturbed to find she had started to cry.

Unsure of what to do, Sadie patted her back awkwardly and filled the silence with her own explanation of how she got here. “I don’t know what that was, Lars and I needed to use the bathroom and then…”

Sadie blinked at the memory, still trying to understand what had happened herself. Lars had been waiting outside the door for her, scrolling through his phone with a frown – probably still disgruntled that he hadn’t found a signal yet. Before he could even realize she had returned, he huffed and stuck his phone in his pocket, but jerked his head up at the sound of a scream from far-off. Then, immediately after, his brow came together and he set off alone into the dark, Sadie tried to call for him but as her mouth opened to form the words, she was slammed back violently into a water fountain, perpendicular to the door of the girls bathroom.

The silhouette had been all she could see before it scrambled away at the call of another voice, giving her enough time to flee to the bathroom, but the image had been plenty to haunt her for the remainder of the night. Four eyes, all horizontal, glowing bright red with orange slit-like pupils, a head as large as her body, and a back like an arched scorpion. She couldn’t tell how many exactly, but it had many, _many_ legs – like those horrible millipede bugs that were sometimes on the dumpster behind the Big Donut.

Sadie’s voice was tense by the time she was ready to continue, a mixture of shame and insecurity. “I wanted to go after him, but, I was… it was just really, really fucking scary. Er, sorry,” Sadie said, chuckling awarded. The girl was only fourteen, so Sadie immediately felt guilty. The sudden change in her voice had been enough to snap up Connie’s attention, having calmed down from the initial scare.

Normally, Connie wasn’t one to cry at something like this, but there was something different about this. It wasn’t a corrupted gem, she was pretty sure, because it had been _warm_. Fingers lingering over her collarbones, she could still feel the horrible grip of hard limbs closing around her throat, eyes lancing her with bloody irises, a growling so strong it made her body quake. And worst of all, she had been alone. Steven was out there somewhere, and probably the others, too, and she had been _certain_ she was going to die, just like that.

Sadie was looking at Connie’s face closely, trying to make sure she had calmed down, and stood up slowly. At some point, they had crumpled onto the floor, but right now hygiene was very low on their list of worries.

Voice still thick from the tears, Connie looked up at her. “Why are you still here?”

Pressing her lips together, Sadie was not offended – she understood the question better than perhaps Connie realized.

“Did… did you see it?” Sadie asked quietly, her voice affected by something that Connie recognized. It was the feeling she had in her chest this very moment.

“Yes,” she said, looking at her shaking fingers. It was like trying to cup water in her hands, slipping between what she wanted to hold onto and replaced by empty air. The memory felt wrong and strange, unlike her, and that scared her even more. Nodding, Sadie dug her hands a little deeper in her own pockets – they had both seen it then, and had both been stained by that inexplicable fear that neither of them could articulate.

The bathroom was comfortable, warm, and bright; out there was… dangerous. Neither of them wanted to stay here, but their bodies rejected the impulse to leave. The threat alone of facing the creature again was enough to shake them to their foundations. No matter how desperately they each wanted to find _him_ , they couldn’t move. Both of their partners had slipped away into the night, and yet, Connie and Sadie were too afraid to leave.

Something had cracked beneath the surface, but they could at least find company in this shared schism. The words were too terrible to say aloud, so neither spoke the suggestion to go after them – individually, neither girl’s mind could even bring themselves to imagine it.

That is, at least, until someone else began to scream.


	4. Encounters

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  
> 
> _Warning: graphic language used by your favorite misunderstood bad boy._  
> 

Narrowing her eyes, Dani watched a hand grab her wrist and pull her into darkness. The gem she had come to befriend, Pearl, had been there, too. Was she still here? Where was _here_ , anyways?

Her, she, they? Yes – _they_ were going into a deep pit of blackness that processed tediously for her, like pin-pricks of information that hadn’t rhyme or reason. The footsteps were mute, and all things she imagined as voices had been reduced to animalistic snarls. What world she existed within had neither sea nor sky, neither color nor concept, neither feelings nor fabrications. Her mind… it was like trying to see the reality through a thick blindfold, but not one that covered merely the eyes. This guise was different, lacing itself around her from the tips of her fingers to the radix of her vision. Dani’s ghostly senses strained to process and contextualize encounters a nonsensical world.

The fingers around her wrist exerted an increase in pressure that she could recognize, but it unsettled to her to think on _how_ exactly she knew that. She couldn’t feel it, but there was just barely the echo of sight, short digits tightening at one end of the tunnel that had become her mind.

For better or worse, Dani still had her mind. She knew where she had been – with Steven and his family. And how she had gotten there – a night of tricking and treating. But then, like a switch had turned off, she was gone.

Dani commanded her arm to raise a hand, and she hadn’t been sure if it worked until the subtle curvature of her muscles materialized inches before her visor.

_Hmm. Not dead._

That was a good sign, but hardly reassuring. The best Dani could guess was that had been submerged within a sensory deprivation chamber – a therapeutic treatment she would utilize for her subjects back at the Zoo, but… hadn’t she only just been outside? There had been no possibility to be put into such a chamber, unless the entire amusement park was such, but that seemed unlikely. Why would Steven escort them to a place for games and fun if she could not experience it? Indeed, was the park not called “Funland?” Had she missed the irony somewhere?

Concentrating on her existence, the white gem was further relieved as she absorbed a barometric change into her corporeal form. Mercifully, atmospheric recalibration was ubiquitous among their kind and had no bearing on a gem’s powers, so as they continued to move she could at least be certain that reality itself had not been erased.

The change would have been indiscernible under different circumstances, just the slightest change in pressure, an adjustment in atmospheric density; alas, when you hadn’t any feeling left at all beside the weakest attachment to vision, you notice everything. Weakly but definitely, the detached ligaments of her mind reacquainted themselves in the absence of corporeal space with some difficulty.

They had moved somewhere new with less pressurized atmosphere, characterized by stale ventilation and pungent air.

_Ah._

And there it was – reality returning, slowly, but it was there. The white gem rubbed her eyes beneath her visor with a thumb and forefinger, reveling in the sensation of touch once again.

“... _eez_ , I don’t know, this is really starting to freak me – Dans?” Amethyst said, who had been rubbing the back of neck to relieve some tension. She didn’t seem to be directly addressing Blue Pearl, but she didn’t appear to be excluding her either. Moving next to the white gem, Amethyst placed a careful hand against Dani’s shoulder and rattled her lightly.

“…Amethyst?” Danburite said, voice low. Her mouth felt slow, words passing through her lips with deliberate effort.

Half-laughing, half-sighing, the purple gem ran a nervous hand through her hair. “Yeah, welcome back to Earth. Dunno where you went but you were totally spacing out there. What _happened_?”

Dani glanced from the gem in front of her to Pearl, eyes narrowed as she looked around, immersed in the moldiness of air as it danced across her tongue, memorizing the intonations of the buzzing given from the single light in the room.

“I am not exactly sure. Where are we?” Dragging a thin finger down the wall nearest her, she examined the grayish brown dust yielded from her query before flicking it away carefully.

Looking around, Amethyst wasn’t exactly sure of that either, but she had a few guesses. “Well, I think we’re in some sorta storage closet or something. Heh, looks like my room,” she said, kicking an empty bucket into another pile of junk.

Blue Pearl backed up into another dusty wall, recoiling at the disturbing sensation of grime and cement against her shoulder blades. Dani noted that she was shaking severely, nearly as much as she had back on Homeworld when they first met, a sight that was not at all encouraging.

The room was probably the size of Steven’s living room, but in much poorer condition. There was a lone lightbulb that hung level with her head in the middle of the roam, washing them all in a placid orange light not unlike the rising sun on this planet, but it was very weak. Many of the corners were shrouded by darkness, stained with tendrils of light that would never relieve its own shadows. Piles of belongings cluttered the floor and shelving, which she recognized to be human-made, but beyond that, they were unidentifiable to her. Best she could tell, there was fabric and wood and plastics all smushed together in untidy piles that followed a mysterious pattern beyond her deductive capabilities.

And it was glorious.

Here, at least, she could see, and think, and wrinkle her nose at the unpleasant smell of sea water and human waste.

“What did you see? How did we get here?” Danburite asked as she squinted at the faltering light, concerned for its longevity.

Amethyst looked at Blue Pearl fleetingly, but turned her head back and made gestures with her hands.

“Well, we were at the gates, and you froze up. Like, it was kinda creepy, the way you just… _stopped._ You don’t remember anything?”

She pressed her lips together, the thin line and shaking of her head indicating her gap in consciousness.

Twirling her wrist for effect, the purple gem began to pace while explaining. “Figures. Okay, well, you stopped and Bluesy stumbled forward again, like she had been pushed again, and next thing I know, she’s grabbed me and we’re running. There was… uh,” Amethyst paused, stopping her circling.

“Um… a noise. Did you… did you _hear_ the noise?”

Blinking, Danburite shook her head, alarmed by the recounted events.

Amethyst sighed and opened her mouth to speak, but Blue Pearl interrupted her.

“It was… _her_. White… Diamond, I know it. She was the one… I can’t explain it,” she said, eyes darkening as she looked off to one side.

Danburite’s mouth fell open and she released a small “oh,” as if it had been the most obvious thing in the world. Amethyst scratched the side of her head in an attempt to act casual, but it only accentuated the mortification in her eyes that told them that the blue and purple gems were in agreement.

The three of them looked at each other, stressed, unsure of what to say. This was staggering, if not unbelievable, news. How could White Diamond be _here_? Without any of them noticing until it was too late? Not a single trace, a clue, a sign, a whisper?

“Did she… say anything? I mean, the noise. Was it a voice?” Danburite asked after a heavy pause.

Now it was Amethyst’s turn to blink inquisitively, surprised by the question. “Yeah, well, sort of. It was like a… laugh.”

Blue Pearl sucked in a sudden breath, loud enough to make them flinch in the tense silence that had befallen their gemforsaken sanctuary.

“No, there was screaming. And crying. And… _begging_. But no laughter.”

“ _That?_ That was not a cry – that was definitely, _definitely_ ,” Amethyst was prepared to argue her point, but she hadn’t the chance before they all leapt, gasping as the door burst open.

 

* * *

 

Running towards her voice, Lars felt his heart hammering in his chest as he remembered how terribly out of shape he was. He made a mental note to ask Sadie if she wanted to start working out again, after he made a mental note at the _very top_ of his list to never, _ever_ hang out with Steven ever again.

Listening hard, the teen scanned the darkness, figuring he was probably somewhat near the rollercoaster or Ferris wheel by now. The heat rising against his veins in the dank, cold air was strangely invigorating, pushing him to keep going in spite of his aching muscles.

While Lars didn’t know the park perfectly, he had gone here more times than he cared to remember, living in Beach City and there being literally _nothing else to do_ most days. If he kept moving north-north west, he should…

 _“Oof._ ” He groaned, grabbing his stomach and resting his hand the metal bar he had just unceremoniously ran into. Thank goodness he was alone, because that was embarrassing.

_Wait, metal?_

Standing up, Lars gripped the bar harder, testing if his senses had failed him. No, this was real, and he knew where this was – the railing that lined the side of the pier to protect park goers from falling into the sea. Sure, Lars knew where this was, but that also meant he knew he had been going the wrong way.

Studying the chilled surface, almost icy in the autumn air, Lars dragged his hands across the rust and iron to make _absolutely_ sure it was real, and yes, it was.

He had reached the edge of the park and was now overlooking the ocean, maybe twenty feet out to sea from where the pier met the shore.

“Great.” Lars said to no one. Not only was he terribly unfit for this sort of high-stress lifestyle (physically and mentally), he was also apparently directionally challenged. Another mark against the Lars Barriga sheet of achievements – gangly, awkward, a jerk, out of shape, poor, stupid. Now, he added another talent at the end of his list: _inept_.

That made him frown, though, his usual self-deprecation punctured by uncharacteristic pride. Breathing deep, Lars focused on the salty air washing over him for a moment, trying to focus on the bigger issues at hand.

He was alone; Sadie had disappeared, likely into the darkness with that _thing_ ; Steven and his whole band of magical ladies – _poof_ , gone. Tightening his hold on the bannister that separated him from the water, Lars realized he was shaking, and his eyes had started to grow moist.

_Ugh. Not now._

Always such a cry baby, he scolded himself. What Lars needed was a plan, not a tantrum, so he considered what options he had. Go back and risk getting lost – or, perhaps worst, _found_. Chances are that… _thing_ had found the others. It was like a necromorpher from one of his video games, _Lifeless Place._ Lars shook his head – better not to think about it right now.

And even if he could find the others, or the necromorph-thing, what would he do? He couldn’t fight, his phone was useless, _he_ was useless. The only thing Laramie Barriga was good at was disappointing people.

So… might as well play to his strengths, right?

The teen raised an eyebrow, looking over the edge into the water. Tides soft and moonlight bright, he would easily be able to make his way to shore if he bounded over the railing. His mom would never let him hear the end of it if he came home soaking wet in the middle of the night, but if he had to drop down into the sea to go get help? Surely she would understand it, if it was in the interest of others…

But that required another thing, of which Lars was totally deficient: bravery.

The hammering of his human heart had slowed considerably, grip hardening against the old railing as Lars tried to tell himself to do the right thing and go get help, but… he didn’t even know what the right thing was. Heroes don’t really exist, not in real life, so there was no obvious solution; he definitely couldn’t turn around and go save the day, but he wasn’t sure he could go ahead with the plan as it stood.

In a blitz of movement, Lars found himself flung headfirst towards the water as his legs moved without command. Like in real life, this was no grand, heroic gesture – he had been pushed, and his hands grabbed desperately at the wooden pier, numb from cold and clawing at the old planks.

A whining floated over the edge, a guilty sort of growling like a dog who had been caught eating its owner’s shoes. Lars considered just using this as his chance to escape, a snarling, mysterious figure likely not the best source of company, but as he peered up at his fingernails, digging into the oaken boards, a flash of orange against the black backdrop of the eerie park moved hearer to him. Smooth hills with soft valleys nuzzled against his fingers, gently cooing at him.

It was… that little, Pumpkin-dog thing. Yeah, great, just who he wanted to see right now.

_Welp, time to fall, perhaps to my death._

Lars let out a small sigh and slackened his grip, but the yelping intensified as he started to let go. Looking up again, he realized the creature was looking at him, shaking, almost crying for him…

God, he was such a sap.

Next thing he knew, the whining pumpkin was thrown away, bouncing hard in the opposite direction like a forgotten basketball.

“Uh, you good?” Lars asked, unsure if it could talk. He automatically had started to pull himself up best he could with some difficulty, startled by how quickly the orange thing disappeared.

Then there was a high-pitched whine and yelp, causing Lar’s head to snap in the direction of the dog-type-Pumpkin. Straining his arms, the lanky teenager managed to get his knees over the railing and pulled himself back into the park.

Breathing a little unevenly, Lars scanned for the orange blob that had pushed him. “Hey, little guy, where are you?”

No answer.

Lars was pretty sure the pumpkin had scuttled off to the right, so he slowly crept away from the bannister and towards a bench, no sign of orange anywhere. Eyes scanning against the black backdrops, silhouettes of rides he once knew were now covered in a disturbing gauze of white filament that made him uncomfortable to even look at.

“Ugh, what _is_ this stuff?” Lars nudged the bench with his foot, and the flakes were brittle, rather than goopy, for which he was grateful. But it was disturbing all the same, reminiscent of the translucency that mollified snakes when they shed their skin, made older and more dangerous with each molting.

Looking at his shoe and kicking off the rest of the flecks like snow, Lars felt a shiver run up his spine at the prospect of what could have made this. It was huge, much larger shedding than any snake he could imagine.

_The necromorph…_

Just then, Lars screamed, a high-pitched, radiating echo that haunted each corner of the park as the orange thing flew at him a second time from the shadows, this time nuzzling into his chest and whining.

“God, don’t _fucking scare me_ , Jesus, _fuck_ ,” he said, scooting backwards towards the ledge again, chest heaving at the scare. Just when his heart had finally recovered, it was back to maximum utility and pushing harder with each intake of breath.

A rumbling followed the darkness as he backed away, trying to get the pumpkin to let go of him, but it had a strong bite on his shirt and was crying weakly. It was really, really pitiful, and even Lars conceded to cuteness at some point; cradling it carefully under his arms, the teen recoiled at a goopy substance his hand found on its underbelly.

_It’s hurt…_

Somehow, the thing had gotten smashed along the bottom, not destroyed but hurt enough to leak juice on his clothes. Really, Lar’s night just kept getting better.

... 

Deep and obeisance, a being unseen made a stately claim against the edge of the shadows, creeping as close as light permitted to the teen and the whimpering thing. Eyes narrowed, it could not reach them now, too far and protected by sudden camaraderie, but it would find another victim.

 

* * *

 

“Get in here you _little_ …” Lars said, wrestling with a terrified, quivering orange thing that yelped and barked, ultimately flinging itself at Amethyst who howled at the sudden attack. Granted, the attacks were harmless licks, but still, they were on all edge.

Slamming the door behind him, Lars’ eyes went wide when he realized the company he was in – good and bad.

“Damn, damn, damn, that was… _god_ , am I glad to see you guys. What is _happening_ out there?”

Amethyst, Blue Pearl, and Dani all exchanged looks of mutual shock, and in Amethyst’s case, horror as she realized Pumpkin was leaking.

“We have no idea, bud,” she said, placing the quivering thing down carefully on top of some soft-looking costumes.

Dani nodded, examining the boy as he backed up into the door. Ugh – this again – the new one.

“Yes, we were just discussing it. I lost touch with reality. Literally. And, apparently, it is White Diamond who is causing this.”

Scooting down the length of wall, unknowingly dirtying his shirt, Lars edged away from the white gem with a scowl.

“Well, can’t you just get her to stop or whatever? I need to make sure Sadie is – er, that she makes it home okay.”

Amethyst rolled her eyes at his obvious deflection, but didn’t make it a point to say anything. Instead, she returned to the topic at hand, eyes closed in frustration and something else she wasn’t sure she wanted to identify.

“Yeah, it ain’t gonna be that easy. She’s only, like, a million feet tall and all-knowing and all-powerful. Did you see the others out there?” The purple gem’s voice cracked at the end, betraying her nerves. She seemed like a wreck of worry, and with good reason.

Lars frowned and shook his head. “I was with Sadie one minute, waiting for her outside the bathroom, but then she was screaming somewhere. I tried to find her, but… well, you can see how it worked out,” he said, gesturing to the stains of pumpkin juice on his hoodie and jeans.

Fidgeting with her skirt, Blue Pearl huffed quietly but said nothing. For a typically silent presence, even the smallest exhale was like a grand announcement, so the others turned to her with curious looks on their face.

All of their stares pushed her to speak, voice low. “It doesn’t make sense.”

Lars immediately went on the defensive. “Hey, it’s not my fault I couldn’t find her, I told her to  wa – ”

“No,” she said, cutting him off by raising a hand. “Why would she be on Earth? It doesn’t make sense – White Diamond. I think something is… wrong.”

“Wrong how?” Amethyst asked, sitting down against a shelving unit and studying the ground.

Danburite nodded solemnly, jumping in before Blue Pearl could answer. “She’s right. White Diamond cannot suspend reality, at least, not like this.”

“And even if she could,” the blue gem picked up. “No one could do something on this scale without being close. Her illusions are… powerful, yes, but she would have to be here for something this size to be sustainable.”

Lars blinked, not really understanding what they were talking about, but he picked up on the use of pronouns.

“Wait, _she_? The thing I saw was _definitely_ not a _she_ … actually, you know…” he rubbed his chin and paced, bumping his head awkwardly into the singular light in the room. The spinning of the bulb caused a sort of sickening oscillation of brightness in the otherwise dark utility shed.

“You said she was, like, really tall?” The young adult narrowed his eyes at Amethyst, who returned the expression skeptically.

“Yeah, why?”

He ignored her question for the time being. “How tall?”

“I dunno, like… the Ferris Wheel, maybe. Or… bigger.” Amethyst bit her lip, the image of the monarch in the Kindergarten resurfacing once again, leering over them, the flaming boulder colliding with her chest…

  
Lars interrupted her retrograde vision. “The thing I saw was _definitely_ not a she, and _definitely_ not that tall. I mean, it was way bigger than me, but it couldn’t have been bigger than, like, the size of this place. Guessing by the name, she’s supposed to be white?” He craned his neck and looked at the ceiling, while the others looked at each other.

“Yes.” Danburite answered in an even tone.

“Nope. This thing was dark, and bloody, and…” it had sacks hanging off of its arms with spikey, bone-like vertebrae accentuating every curvature of its body. And those _eyes_ … those red, horrible eyes. Lars decided to keep his description curt, wincing as he remembered the sight of it as he fled with the pumpkin.

“So what, there’s like, creepers hanging around too? Just freakin’ fantastic.” Amethyst groaned, leaning her head against the hard surface behind her. She had been hoping for just one night – _one night_ – of peace. Just a horse and her riders, winning candy and playing games, but here she was. Garnet, Pearl, Peridot, Steven, Connie, Sadie, all missing.

To no one in particular, a desperate question escaped her lips. “Where _are_ you guys…”

 

* * *

 

Steven held the green hand tightly, following her out of instinct but his mind was very concerned with other routes, all of them leading _away_. This route in particular was heading _towards_.

“Are you… are you _sure_ this is a good idea, Peridot?”

Practically dragging him, Peridot didn’t stop moving, making a beeline north according to her tablet’s compass app (thankfully, this one worked without an internet connection).

“Of course, Steven. Think about it – the high-ground is historically the most advantageous spot in times of danger. Not only will we have a better view if we get above this fog, but it would provide a logical meeting point if we can find a way to communicate with the others. Meet at the X, and the X is the Ferris Wheel!”

When Steven said nothing, she glanced behind to see his eyes scanning around, flinching at the occasional cry of pain that sounded over the booths and from the buildings, he wanted to go search for the others, to help whoever was hurting, but Peridot was having none of it.

“C’mon, Steven, we can’t be far now. Think about it – having the high ground is how your Watermelon Self defeated Malachite, or something like that, right? And the Cluster – we were above it, and that worked out fine. And of course, we had the top of the Kindergarten when we defeated White Diamond!”

He smiled to satisfy her need to comfort him, Peridot returning the expression as she continued to lead them around trash bins and booths towards their destination. Steven had to bite his tongue to point out Alexandrite defeated Malachite when he tripped her, far _below_ her level, or that he had to go _within_ the Cluster to stop it from forming, or that they had not in _any_ capacity “defeated” White Diamond.

Indeed, at this very moment, every shadow looked like the curve of her brow when he angered her, or the way her spindly fingers seemed to not only hold his bubble but dissect, mutilate, and bolster it all at once. Her eyes were on him, he knew. There was a feeling of vulnerability, culpability, responsibility, liability… all of it coursed through his veins like electricity, replacing the blood she so ironically coveted for her own disposal. She was responsible for this, whatever this was, but Peridot didn’t seem too concerned with who’s and why’s right now.

“Ah, yes…” They had found it, but much to the green gem’s chagrin, it was moving. Best they could tell, there were no occupants inside.

Peridot approached what could only be the control panel, about to press buttons and dials that should have been predicated by the question she asked a moment later. “How do we stop it?”

Steven quickly followed and slapped her hand away. “I’m not sure, and don’t touch anything! We might break it…”

She huffed but drew her hand back, studying the slow moving mechanization. “Well, we must board it while moving then. Agreed?”

Opening his mouth, all Steven managed was a small “um,” before Peridot leapt at the nearest pod that passed them. She fell comically short, falling under the ride and down into the wiring and motor below.

“Ohmygosh, Peridot! Are you okay?” Steven peered over the edge, careful to watch for the next pod coming. Luckily, Ferris Wheels are slow, so he would be fine.

A weak cough came from below, followed by an impressive amount of enthusiasm. “Y-Yep! Fine. Just fine. I told you, we Peridots are tough stuff!”

Steven bit his lip and pulled his head back, so as not to meet an early end to the night like Peridot.

“I don’t know if I can get you out, the thing keeps going. Should I…?” He turned to look at the control panel a few feet away.

“Oh, no, don’t bother. I have an idea!” She called up, but Steven jumped when someone else called his name.

“ _Steven?_ ” It was lower than Peridot’s, and it came from above, he recognized it…

“ _Dad?_ ” He answered with equal incredulity in his ownvoice.

So it was – Greg Universe holding onto a metal frame of the Ferris Wheel for dear life, dangling above one side of a pod as he was brought closer to the ground. Even at the lowest, with his current position his dad was at least 10 feet off the ground.

“Dad, what are you _doing_ up there?” Steven stared at him as he was lowered closer to the ground, eyes following the slow descent and arc of his father’s path.

“ _Steven?_ Who are you talking to?” Peridot called up from below, her voice alarmed at the unexpected company.

Greg laughed uncomfortably. “Well, funny story, actually. I’m not sure, one thing I’m walking into the park, next thing I know I’m leaping for _whoaaa_ —” he went rigid and tightened his grip on the metal bars as the Ferris Wheel shook a little in a catching wind. Despite the cold, his dad looked like he was sweating.

“Well, just get down, I can catch you.” Steven said, walking alongside the pod as it was likely the closest it would get to the ground.

That made his dad frown. “No offense, bud, I know you’ve been trainin’ and all, but I’m not Connie or Pearl. I’ll squish you.”

“ _Dad_ , I have gem powers, I’ll be fine.” Steven rolled his eyes and extended his short arms to urge his dad to comply.

“N-no, son, I’m good here,” he said before slipping slightly, causing them both to tense.

“Seriously, Dad, stop it! Just jump!”

Stuttering through the next sentence, Greg started to be brought upwards again with the curve of the rotation. “I-I-I _can’t!_ ”

“What?” Steven said, some anger finding its way into his tone. He was prepared to just jump up and grab him with his floating powers, but then he heard his father’s voice grow shaky.

“I’m afraid of… falling from… phew… Ferris… _phew…_ ” Greg clutched the metal bars tighter, wrapping his legs around it like a fireman’s pole and spoke through labored breath.

Steven was about to scold his dad, but he realized someone else needed him right now.

“ _Steven – Steven answer me? Are you okay? WHERE ARE YOU?”_ Peridot screamed from below, still below the center of the ride where he had left her.

“S-Sorry Peridot! I’m here!” He scrambled onto his knees, moving down next to opening in the metal she had fallen through.

There was a pause before she spoke up. “Steven, don’t do that to me. You scared me…”

A small smile found its way to his face in spite of the craziness; he forgot, and appreciated, how much Peridot cared about him.

“Sorry, again. My Dad is stuck on the Ferris Wheel… I got distracted.”

Another pause. Steven wasn’t sure what he expected Peridot to say, but he certainly had not expected the frustration that riddled her tone.

“So _he_ was able to make the jump? …hus…neve… _clods_ …”

His shoulders released their immediate tension, relieved that everyone was still okay, ears straining for a _crunch_ or _splash_ if his Dad were to fall.

“Okay, just hang on, I’ve got to get my Dad… my…” His voice faded, sputtering like a broken engine, so Peridot called up to him again.

“Steven? What is it?”

But Steven couldn’t hear her, he had been pulled away from the operative station of the Ferris wheel by another sound. This was one he knew – a familiar, neurotic, beguiling tone that made his spine tingle like a marionette, one that swept the dense, censered air from his lungs.

The glow of her towering form, perfection of the worst kind, made every texture a dilapidated echo of what it once was. Floors and walls, buildings and tents, all tarnished above the tarn, dust and masonry faded away in her presence. She rendered him utterly cataleptic, skin turned pallor and mind turned terrified at the vision of his personal phantom.

White Diamond tilted her head in that terrible innocuous way, a silent cue, an unspoken reminder of her relentless authority over anything and everything he cared about.

A smile traced her wicked lips. “Ah, Steven. You’re just in time. Things are just about to become interesting.”


End file.
